Search form

Apereo Annual Report 2014-2015

Apereo Annual Report 2014-2015

Introduction

Each year Apereo produces an annual report. It’s not designed to be a detailed blow-by-blow account of the Foundation’s activities - which would be near impossible - but to report the salient points of the preceding years activities. The backdrop to the 2014-15 might appear contradictory. On the one hand, openness has become apparently pervasive. Scarcely a week passes without a new product being declared “open”, or open practices being applied to a new field. This speaks to a significant decade-long effort by those in open content, open access publishing, open data, open science and open source software to embed open practices in higher education. Yet this very success has tended to muddy waters. There are many who feel compelled by the market to use the term “open” to describe practices and products that are manifestly far from open. In our area of focus, that of open source software, this typically consists of a public “open source” version of software missing some key features or functionality, and a “premium” version on a for pay basis. We - and our partners - have to continue to deepen our understanding of what openness means in practice, help higher education detect “fauxpen source” offerings, and articulate the tangible benefits of genuine openness to the broader educational community in terms of innovation and sustainability.

During the course of 2014-15 Apereo grew and matured as an organization. We maintained our open approach to community and software development, whilst learning to apply open approaches to new contexts - such as above campus provision. Our communities produce and sustain software that is in production - and, more importantly, productive use - at thousands of educational institutions around the world. That software is sustained by the contributions of partner institutions, commercial affiliates and individuals. We are learning to find broader collaborative alternatives to the few large investments of the past. These alternatives are growing in number, and proving both resilient and effective - but they require participation and contribution. If members of our community make a contribution, they can do so in the assurance that they are contributing to the solution of common problems for the common good. Above all, Apereo remains 100% open - because openness works.